Love By Deed and Truth

1 John 3:16-18 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

Today Lori, Grayson and I went for a walk with the dogs to the local park and while we were walking we encountered a homeless couple washing their clothes in the drinking fountain and hanging them on a nearby tree to dry. The weather was a bit inclement so I made a comment to Lori that we should invite them over to do laundry at our house.

As we walked along our merry way we kept discussing the struggle it must be to live such a life in a country that is full of extreme excess and have nothing but the clothes you can carry in a paper bag. We all go through difficult times at one point or another in this life and those difficulties can really bring us down. But we have hope. We have a Savior who gives us the assurance that there is a place free from pain and suffering. A time when we will kneel at the feet of our Lord and be free from guilt, shame, pain, and loss.

Jesus doesn't promise us an easy life here on earth. Actually, the Bible is full of stories of struggle and pain. It does however give us hope. We know that we have a God who loves us and gave himself for us so that we can spend eternity with him. No matter what the difficulty, whether it be financial, emotional, or physical, we are reminded in Romans that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Rom 8:18)

Lord I pray for the couple today that we saw washing their clothes in a drinking fountain. I know that there are millions more across the globe just like them and I ask that you reveal yourself to them and put people into their lives that can bring them hope. You tell us who have to share with those who don't and I pray for more opportunities to share your love with others. Thank you for blessing me and my family so richly.

(revised)